Samsung’s Galaxy Tab Out of Australia Until at Least Sept 30

By Jeff Gamet

Aug 29th, 2011 11:58 AM EDT

Samsung had hoped to launch a modified version of its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in Australia in mid-September, but on Monday agreed to wait until at least September 30 in an agreement with the court. The agreement came as part of the company’s ongoing patent legal battle with Apple over similarities with the iPad.

Galaxy Tab Australia launch delayed again

Apple and Samsung are set to appear in court in September 26 and 29 to argue their cases, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Apple will be presenting evidence it hopes will convince the Australian court to impose an injunction to block Samsung from selling or advertising its tablet device in the country, while Samsung will argue that it isn’t violating any of Apple’s patents.

Apple and Samsung have been locked in a legal battle over mobile device-related patent infringement claims for several months. Both companies have alleged that the other’s mobile devices use patented technologies without proper licensing. In addition to their U.S. lawsuit, both have filed similar claims in other countries, too.

Samsung has provided Apple with samples of the Galaxy Tab variant it planned to start selling in Australia, but the iPad maker said the modified version still infringes on its patents.

This latest agreement is bad news for Samsung since it still can’t ship the Galaxy Tab in Australia, and it faces the possibility that the court will side with Apple and continue to block the product.

Samsung is also facing a ban in Europe thanks to rulings in German and Dutch courts. So far, Samsung hasn’t been hit with an injunction in the U.S.